Jermain Defoe has expressed his disappointment that Rangers haven't progressed since his title-winning days at Ibrox, with Celtic in the Scottish Premiership driving seat. The English forward, who made his mark in the Premier League with teams like Spurs, Portsmouth, and Sunderland, joined Rangers on loan in 2019 before sealing a permanent move the next year. Under Steven Gerrard's management, Defoe was instrumental in preventing Celtic from securing their 10th consecutive title as Rangers notched up an impressive 102 points. But since his exit in 2022, Celtic have bounced back, claiming three titles on the trot and now being on the verge of a fourth. The 42-year-old has opened up about this immediate and long-lasting response from Brendan Rodgers' side. "I was in a team where we won... It was 55 league titles, it was the special one, really," Defoe said, courtesy of bet365's new Sub On Play On product. "The one that the fans were craving - stop Celtic from doing 10 in a row, that sort of stuff. "To have that experience, it was amazing. I still keep in contact with a lot of the people there at the club. Of course, when we won the league, with Steven, the squad that we had... And obviously, I left and Calvin Bassey left. Everyone sort of left and Gio [van Bronckhorst] came in and was so close to winning the European trophy. "But then you just thought that the club would sort of kick on from then and sort of just dominate and go on and win the league every year. And it's just not happened. It's been frustrating to sit back and see. "And even more recently, knocked out the cup and the gap between us and Celtic at the minute. The manager has just lost his job, which is part and parcel now. Especially at a club like that, where it's just all about winning. "That's sort of like the demand, the pressure that you get from the board and the fans. You have to win. You know, if you come second, you might as well come last. That's the sort of like mentality up there." Despite a significant 3-1 away victory in the Europa League against Fenerbahce last week, Barry Ferguson's team are lagging behind domestically and are currently trailing their fierce rivals by 16 points in the Premiership, with an Old Firm visit to Parkhead looming. The ex-England ace has thrown his support behind interim Rangers boss Ferguson and believes that the next permanent manager will be fortunate indeed. "Barry Ferguson has gone in and you like to think that he will sort of do well from now to the end of the season and then see what direction the club goes in. But it is a huge football club, and whoever gets that job, you know, they're a lucky manager."